Real-time buffered image pipeline

Traditionally machine vision cameras are designed that the data rate of the image sensor should match with the frame grabber or PC. But common image data rates will soon exceed 10Gbit/s and move up towards 30Gbit/s over the next years. This means that high performance interface solutions are needed in order to access the full image acquisition potential of these CMOS sensors.

New interface standards arise (like CoaXPress ) to handle these speeds, but they do require high-end frame grabbers and matching PC’s.

Using our buffered image pipeline technology, the data stream from the sensor is decoupled from the datastream on the camera interface. This is done using a new real-time buffered imaging pipeline in the camera. The main advantage is that vision equipment can combine high speed image acquisition with low data rate interfaces (see figure 1).

Figure 1: The image buffer (bucket) receives the image data stream at high speed from the sensor (Step 1 & 2) while outputting the image data at a lower speed to the camera interface ( Step 1 - 5)

Gain accuracy at speeds and resolution beyond CCD

shot noise limited imaging: with embedded processing in the camera combining multiple images acquired at high speed improves the signal-to-noise performance in the image. Effectively a lower frame speed results that can be handled by a lower performance interface. see table for example.